A burgeoning British clothier will soon set up shop in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
Boden Ltd. will establish its U.S. headquarters in Jenkins Township in a 62,000-square-foot building in the CenterPoint Commerce and Trade Park after a grand opening on March 11.
Gov. Ed Rendell first announced the company's intent to move to Pennsylvania after he completed a trade mission in Spain and the United Kingdom in June.
To entice Boden across the Atlantic, the commonwealth is subsidizing the company's move to the tune of $511,000, including job creation tax credits, training funds and a $100,000 grant, according to the state Department of Community and Economic Development.
Boden must create at least 160 jobs over the next three years under the funding agreement and will invest $650,000 in the local and regional economy, according to DCED.
Launched in 1991, Boden expanded to a $300 million business last year. The company first started doing business in the United States in 2002, and by 2007, American orders accounted for 30 percent of the company's total. The U.S. headquarters will be home to a warehouse and call center. Orders are now shipped to U.S. customers from the headquarters in London. The company was launched with eight menswear products in 1991 by Johnnie Boden. Lines for women and children were added in 1994 and 1996.
